Market Systems Development (MSD), M4P, Value Chains and Competitiveness

Market Systems Development (MSD), also known as M4P

Market Systems Development (MSD), also known as M4P or ‘Making Markets Work for the Poor’, is an approach that incorporates a facilitative, pro-poor, bottom-up perspective to economic development and poverty reduction. MSD interventions are designed to be sustainable, systemic,  and scalable. I have extensive first-hand experience designing and implementing MSD interventions in non-traditional sectors in Africa. I was the first globally to lead a dedicated MSD project in healthcare starting back in 2013, and am currently leading development of a private sector healthcare project in Somalia and Somaliland that grew out of a successful pilot program I was instrumental in starting in 2016.

Value Chains

A value chain essentially links all the elements that add value to product or service delivery to the end user, from unprocessed raw materials all the way to after-sales service – considering everything in between and around. I was an early advocate of value chain development in emerging economies and have helped increase competitiveness in a broad range of industries by identifying gaps and opportunities within value chains, and then taking action to improve them. I have helped connect local industries in emerging markets to global value chains. I have a broad industry perspective; some of the industries I have worked with are listed on the Industries page.

Technical Application

As mentioned, I successfully implemented MSD in the healthcare sector in Africa for the first time, and developed innovative value chain mapping techniques that apply the “Do No Harm” framework to economic development for the first time. I have worked alongside some of today’s renowned experts in value chain analysis and market systems development, both in academic and consulting circles, and can apply state-of-the-art quantitative techniques to identifying linkages for industry performance improvement and opportunities for investment promotion.

Public-Private Partnerships

I have assembled public-private partnerships (PPPs) that promote competitiveness in several regions of the world, bringing in private investment which leverage public commitments.